Vance is Two Months Old!
Our sweet Vancey boy turned 2 months old last Wednesday! He is now 32 weeks and 2 days gestation—hard to believe he was supposed to have three more weeks before even entering the world. But here he is, showing us every day just how strong and resilient he is!
This has been a big week of progress for Vance! First off, he finished his antibiotics for pneumonia, and with that, he was able to have his PICC line removed—one less line in his tiny body! That was a big relief for us. Since the last update, he was still holding onto some extra fluid and looking a little puffy. To help with that, the doctors started him on a 5-day course of diuretics to flush out the extra fluid and focus on gaining good weight.
Vance also started on a course of steroids to help manage his lung inflation, and the results were amazing. His oxygen needs continued to decrease, and by Saturday morning, the doctors decided it was time for the big step—taking the breathing tube out and transitioning him to a Non-Invasive Positive Pressure Ventilator (NIPPV)!
With all of us—nurses, doctors, and his proud parents—standing by his bedside, Vance handled the transition like the rockstar he is! He officially no longer has a breathing tube down his little throat! Instead, he now wears a breathing mask that provides pressure to keep his airways open while allowing him to start breathing more on his own. This was a huge step forward, but the doctors are expecting he might need a little more oxygen support as his body gets used to the NIPPV. His carbon dioxide levels crept up a bit, so he’s now getting some medicine and nebulizer treatments to help recruit more of his lungs and exhale CO2 more effectively. They’re still fine-tuning his ventilator settings, but we are so optimistic that our little fighter is up to the task!
This past week, Vance also made the switch from continuous feeds to bolus feeds, meaning instead of being fed all the time, he now gets food over 90 minutes with an hour break in between. The goal is to slowly reduce that to 30-minute feeds, just like how we eat normally. So far, he’s been handling the change well! His heart echo showed just a couple of minor concerns—a moderate-sized PDA (which we expected) and one other small issue, but neither requires intervention right now. The doctors will continue monitoring with monthly echoes to track his progress.
Between the steroids, diuretics, and his growing appetite, his weight has fluctuated a bit, but he’s now back up to 3 pounds 13 ounces—so close to the 4-pound club! It won’t be long now!
With his breathing tube gone, holding him has become so much easier! Instead of needing three nurses to carefully move him from his isolette, we can now pick him up with just a little help—and that has been such a gift. Mom shed some happy tears on Sunday when she got to hold Vance “normally” for the first time. It was a moment we’d been waiting for, and it felt so special.
We continue to pray that Vance’s lungs get stronger and stronger as he keeps growing and making improvements with his ventilator settings. Every single day, he amazes us with his strength and resilience. As always, thank you for being on this journey with us. Your prayers, love, and support mean the world to us. Please keep them coming for our little warrior! 💙✨
